Maryland construction industry tries for image boost with center at Towson University - Baltimore Business Journal:

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The goal of the Maryland Centerr for Construction Education and Innovation is to create a roadmapo for prospective construction workers on how to ente r the industry and earn various levels of trainingf andadvanced degrees. The centere will be housed at . Maryland’ds construction industry is suffering from a shortage of qualifiecd employees and an aging work executives said, and the center will aim to make the industry attractiv e again. The average age of a constructiob worker in Marylandis 47, according to Marylanrd Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Constructionn is Maryland’s fifth-largest private employer with nearly 190,000 workers, or 7.
4 percent of the state’ws work force. And the need for skilledr workers is expected to increaswe withtechnology changes, the green buildingv movement and the $6 billion worth of military constructiom projects happening statewide. “There is a great demand for skilledx man powerright now,” said Ron DeJulius, state commissionef of labor and industry. “The center is going to be a greaft tool for people trying to decidre what they want to do inthe future.” With an annuakl budget of $300,000, the center is expected to open this fall. Initiap funding will come fromthe , the construction companies and various foundations.
The center will also competwe for federalstimulus funds, said Martin G. Knott Jr., a member of the Governor’s Workforce Investment Boars and head ofthe state’s Construction Initiative Task The center will partner with the Marylande Business Roundtable for Education on securing industry expertsw to speak in The National Center for Construction Educationh and Research in Florida has a similar focus, said Presidentg Don Whyte. A lot of Marylands firms currently recruit from out of state and the center will act as a locaolfeeder system, Knott “We need to creat a pipeline for ourselves,” said Knott, president of Knotrt Mechanical in Timonium.
“How do you creat a pipeline? Well you have to have a systenm towalk into.”